


Reflection of Dawn

by reikis



Series: Melody of the Reminiscing Star [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst, Depression, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse, Suicide, light sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 20:16:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21379972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reikis/pseuds/reikis
Summary: With melody came reminiscing.
Series: Melody of the Reminiscing Star [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540690
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Reflection of Dawn

Solus zos Galvus.

The Emissary was unsure how he managed to be powerful emperor despite digging his name into the ground. Perhaps those closest to him, those with power, were all-devoting and it was the meager citizenry that despised and abused him with the opportunities he gave them. Airing frustrations, perhaps.

Just that was happening when he found him again after staying away from him in this life with him finding success in raising the Garlean Empire, their plans back in motion.

Concern had been riding Elidibus since he found him near-dead. The Architect had been quick with his suicides until now, but he had merely left himself to freeze to death had the Emissary not intervened.

The observer held back so much growing frustration as the Garlean topping the emperor dug his hands into the back of his hair and brought him forward. The larger man’s free hand played at a nipple before thrusting himself deep.

“React, you.”

He merely sat there in the man’s grasp, staring down and never meeting his gaze. Instead, his drifted in the vague direction of the Emissary and loosely sat his head against his shoulder. He didn’t react when the man moved hold to him, hand moving to the middle of his back, and the other hand moved to hold his flaccid dick. It felt cold and foreign to him.

Anger boiled within Elidibus as he took his leave.

* * *

He stood atop one of the tall spires that made up the capital. He was dressed light for the extreme weather, worse than normal, and would shiver under normal circumstances. He held a simple gun in his hand, trembling. Maybe he would take a long nap to fight the suffocating nothingness after this life. He moved his arm to raise the gun to his forehead and took the shot.

But the bullet never met him. A gloved hand had taken his and raised the pistol, the bullet flying into the distance.

“Let me die,” he managed in a low voice. It was breaking, barely contained.

“I believe I have let that happen enough,” Elidibus uttered. He easily removed the gun from the Architect’s hand and cast it aside.

The emperor let out a shaky whimper as his knees gave out, body even weaker from the cold. He would have met his doom if he fell from there, but the Emissary easily took him into his arms and teleported somewhere safe.

* * *

Elidibus left the Architect to rest on the large couch in the room. He arched his back against it, head resting against one cheek on the back. If Elidibus had not known about his depressive streak or feeble aether, he would venture to say he looked at peace. His features were exhausted but calm. He looked like he truly needed the sleep after countless restless nights.

The Emissary kept his eyes on him for a moment extra before taking concentrated steps over to the piano set up in the room. He narrowed his eyes, resting a hand on the polished wood.

Part of him was shocked their time together had some lasting effect. He had intended on them being a means to pass time and keep Hades’s mind off his mental turmoil. He had visited him more often each life as he got worse.

Elidibus inwardly sighed and took a seat, taking practiced movements in lifting the cover to begin poking at the piano keys. He glanced over to the couch as he felt an unusual stir in Hades’s aether. He had turned onto his side, hands wrapped around his stomach and hair falling over his eyes. He looked back and continued to play the keys to conjure a soft, soothing melody. He watched Hades’s aether slow as his ears took in the notes. It wasn’t an unpleasant churn in his aether, but instead it had strengthened and calmed at the same time.

It reminded him of the Hades he once knew.

Hades curled into a ball, bringing his legs onto the couch with the rest of him, moaning in his rest. Elidibus paused and turned towards him in full, observing his aether’s haphazard stirring. He immediately stood and walked over to him, watching his lips shudder with the incomprehensible murmurs leaving them. The Emissary lowered his eyes as he approached and let a hand hover nearby. He motioned to back away when an agitated hand suddenly grabbed at him.

“S... Stay...” was all the Architect managed.

Elidibus was not the most familiar with mortal forms, but it was clear his body was failing from his self-neglect. He closed his eyes and lightly took a seat next to Hades. Hades shook his head a bit and latched himself to the already anchored arm of Elidibus’s.

The Emissary looked away, listening to his soft, uneven breathing until he felt him jerk suddenly and shift until he had an arm wrapped around him, ignoring the metal of his white robes.

“I... I can’t do this anymore.”

The words struck a chord within him as his melody had in Hades, like he had struck the piano keys with all his might. His aether had grown shallow but violent all the same as if he could no longer contain himself. The Emissary pondered the words for a moment but no longer.

No, he wasn’t referring to this particular vessel, was he?

His voice was so incredibly pained. A gentle breeze would break him.

“It’s useless, useless,” he shook his head in defeat. He stared as Elidibus moved to grab him, taking the sides of his face into his palms to stare at him. His eyes were still so incredibly dull, tears barely escaping the corners.

Why did he wait until now to finally say something?

He let go and the Architect fell forward onto his chest, sobbing silently.

* * *

Elidibus felt the other man’s aether at ease behind him as he ran his hands along the piano keys, playing another quiet song.

How long were they going to do this?

He lowered his eyes when he heard the Architect stir from his slumber and stand up from the couch. He stuttered a bit, stumbling on his way over to the piano bench and sitting down next to the Emissary, facing away from the piano. He looked down at his bandaged, scarred legs and let out a long sigh, leaning against Elidibus.

“Why do you own a piano?” Elidibus asked quietly.

Hades looked to the side. “Some mortals taught me how to play.”

"Is that so?"

* * *

Elidibus stuck around after that suicide attempt, much to Hades’s surprise, but did not interfere too much in what he did daily. He wore a heavy frown, watching him still end up in bed with some sleezy bar regular in the capital.

Hades wiped a smear of cum off his face and brought his legs against his bare chest with a frown. He avoided looking at Elidibus as the Emissary walked over and ran a clawed hand up his arm to wipe a streak of blood from his shoulder.

“You deserve better than this.”

“No, I don’t.”

The Emissary was surprised by his response; it wasn’t his answer, but the fact he had one at all. So much before this, he merely stayed quiet through Elidibus’s comments.

Hades buried his face further, wrapping his arms around it.

“Everything we did...”

Elidibus’s eyes widened, glad they were hidden behind that red mask of his. Zodiark’s grip over him was so weak, his own feelings about His summoning were beginning to surface. What emotions he was capable of feeling were being surmounted by the overwhelming weight of those distant memories of Amaurot. The sacrifices they made in saving their star and everything they did after. The actions of the Unsundered, everything he – as Emet-Selch – had done to this star.

The Emissary quickly kneeled on the bed and pushed Hades back against it, his head bouncing against the pillows beneath. He stared at Elidibus with widening eyes, giving the Emissary pause in response.

He felt, if only for the briefest of moments, a glimmer in the Architect’s eyes.

The two sat in unflinching silence, studying the other.

“You would hurt me like everyone else.”

His words were concise.

"And here I was under the impression you preferred that.”

Hades grinded his teeth and the venom of his following words failed to match his expression.

“I have grown tired of this,” he started. “You wanted the truth out of me? You can _take it_.” He glared daggers in a gaze that pierced through Elidibus as he spat the words out. “I am sick of searching for answers, exhausted of this... fruitless goal.” Elidibus could, practically physically, feel Zodiark’s tempering crack beneath him. No, he felt _Hades_ fracture. For the briefest of moments, he felt the violet of Hades’s soul but it was shattering. His aether suddenly reeled back as Hades turned his head to break the look he gave Elidibus.

“...I’m so tired, Elidibus...”

Elidibus left him to wallow in his despair.

* * *

Elidibus kept his distance after that. It seemed Hades had reopened some of his senses, weakly feeling for the Emissary’s aether every so often. The next time he would catch him, his living space would be absolutely tainted by the smell of various alcohols.

Hades was sitting at the piano, head dripped low and a bottle of wine in his lap between his legs. From what the Emissary would catch, he was red in the face, blasted with an incredible amount of alcohol in him. His hair was askew, so very different from his normally tamed look, and eyes dark. He was covered with a loose shirt, it partially unbuttoned and falling off one shoulder, and dark trousers. It seemed as if his clothes had been tailored from him, but his body’s further deterioration made them rather loose over his form.

He heavily leaned forward and rested weak hands over the piano keys, giving a few timid presses at the keys. He grunted in frustration. It was just too difficult in his inebriated state.

He lowered his eyes as the Emissary suddenly took his right hand in his own and played a few keys for him. He merely let him take his other hand and play the hymn he had been attempted, drunkenly humming to it himself. He melted in his grasp as Elidibus continued to play the song.

“Sit,” Hades said quietly as he finished.

Elidibus silently did as he wanted, sitting close to him with one arm around his shoulders to keep him steady on the piano bench. He rested the other over the keys, playing half of a melody. He glanced over as Hades raised his left hand and attempted to follow along with the other half sluggishly.

A song he had been teaching him all these lifetimes. Something that kept them together over the years. It had originally served as something he composed, something simple enough that Hades could recognize and play it even with his degrading mental state, to pass the time and hopefully take Hades’s mind off the problems consuming him. But it hadn’t been enough. He felt a sort of appreciation of the music he was taught over the years, but he had grown worse and worse. He was caught in a cycle of life and death with no end in sight.

But that song brought him back to reality.

As it ended, Hades let out a mew, wrapping his arms around his stomach suddenly. He brought a hand over his mouth, tears escaping his eyes.

“Hades?”

His aether was a mess, circling itself with an all-encompassing anguish.

When he felt himself calming, Hades rested his raised hand over a shoulder. His breathing hastened but it was ragged.

“All those times,” he managed. “It was you.” He turned to Elidibus slightly, staring at him beneath his bangs. “It was you,” he repeated. He shifted in his seat and rested both hands on the piano as a grip. “It was you...” He stopped fighting back the tears at this point. “I... I have been so blind. An imbecile.” He rested a hand over his face. “When did I lose sight...?”

He moved to beam into Elidibus once more, letting out a small murmur as he watched him. He looked through Elidibus and instead searched for something else.

His aether.

He forced himself, dragging to surface his long-forgotten abilities, and dug deep into the Emissary’s reinforced soul. He pushed aside Zodiark and all the baggage He brought with His tempering.

And there he found _Elidibus_.

He jerked his head back, hair jumping with his movement, and clenched his teeth. He leaned forward and hugged him as tight as he could despite himself.

The break of dawn peered just past the curtains, snow lazily drifting outside, and he cried his heart out.

His soul was still horribly damaged, it was possible he could never be fully repaired, but Elidibus found the violet he sought out for so long.

For a fleeting moment, those gold eyes shimmered like the new dawn.


End file.
